Paramount's New Streaming Service Is Gearing Up for Launch
On March 4, another streamer enters the market.
CBS All Access will end soon, and become Paramount+ in March.
It will debut in Latin America and the USA after an investor presentation in late February. It will launch in the Nordics on March 25 and Australia in mid-year. The Canadian version of CBS All Access will rebrand as Paramount Plus on March 4, but the expanded content lineup will become available later in the year.
So, what will be on it? Paramount+ will take the CBS programs, NFL games, and library shows.
This is an aggressive relaunch that will expand the options past CBS, with dedicated hubs for ViacomCBS’ core cable properties including Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, and Comedy Central, for a total of some 30,000 titles.
CBS All Access is believed to have about 8-9 million subscribers. Paramount+ hopes to add more with all these offerings, as well as the deep catalog of Paramount films.
Paramount+ will also have an ad-supported component on the CBS live streams, CBS News, sports highlights, and “Entertainment Tonight”-branded channels.
No word yet on pricing.
This is an interesting play for a streamer rebrand. I think that the live sports component is most intriguing. The NFL has a deal with local stations and DirecTV, which ends soon. It's incredibly expensive for consumers, and you don't have much choice. Streamers entering the landscape could open that up. We saw Amazon and Twitter broadcast games in the past. Time will tell if this attracts new people to Paramount.
The movie catalog and shows will also help here. Expect the company to advertise its franchises, including Cloverfield, Mission: Impossible, and Transformers.
Are you excited by the prospect? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Variety
